power wire termination
04-06-2004, 08:36 PM
#11
I have a quick question. On my old amps that I use (RF) they only allow for 8 AWG inputs for power and ground. I have 4 AWG run through my truck. I soldered on a 4" piece of 8 AWG for the power and ground going into the amp. Is this a decent way of doing it, or should I use a distro block? Does running 4 AWG all the way, then stepping down to 8 AWG at the amps defeat the purpose of running the larger gauge wire? Thanks. Also in my bro's truck he has my Punch 40 running (20 amp inline fuse) and soon we will be adding on a second amp of a similiar size. Will 8 AWG be enough, or would 4 AWG be the better way to go? Thanks!
04-06-2004, 08:39 PM
#13
2000 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 2,406
Originally posted by DWVW:
it really looks trick when the fusing is laid out in a eye pleasing manner.
it really looks trick when the fusing is laid out in a eye pleasing manner.
04-06-2004, 08:46 PM
#14
Originally posted by Tim Baillie.:
There is nothing funnier then a big a$$ burn mark going all the way thru the car and melted battery !!
There is nothing funnier then a big a$$ burn mark going all the way thru the car and melted battery !!
04-06-2004, 09:24 PM
#15
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 192
^^^^^ I have seen a 2awg wire that rubbed THROUGH a grommet in the firewall, lots of current flowed long enough to cause a nice pool of lead/plastic/acid on the ground. Kinda funny to see battery terminals just dangling where the battery should be. The fire/smoke damage really is a mess to clean up, spend the extra time and money at the beginning, always ground the +B line.
J
J
04-06-2004, 09:29 PM
#16
50 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 126
Like I said before, fusing all of the wires was never an issue for me. I would be too worried to fry my equipment/car.
I will be running 1/0 gauge wire from the battery through a 125amp inline fuse placed just above the battery. In the trunk I was going to use just a distro block to then run 4 gauge into the amps. The factory outbored fuses (60amps) were all I was going to put on the 4 gauge.
Since then I have seen the streetwire combo power/ground block and really think that it will work well in my setup.
Clean and proper is what I am looking for.
Thinking about it, having too many fuses is never going to be a real problem when taking safety into consideration and it can look sweet when done well.
One other question I still have is using a ground block any better than just a ring terminal? and are maxi fuses better than agu? Cause I haven't bought the distobution block yet I could choose either.
Jeepbeats, I'm sure that one of the best ways to accomplish your install would be to just pick up a wire gauge adaptor and plug that into your amp but I will let someone more knowlegable answer you question properly.
Thanks for the posts.
[ April 06, 2004, 10:34 PM: Message edited by: Milton ]
I will be running 1/0 gauge wire from the battery through a 125amp inline fuse placed just above the battery. In the trunk I was going to use just a distro block to then run 4 gauge into the amps. The factory outbored fuses (60amps) were all I was going to put on the 4 gauge.
Since then I have seen the streetwire combo power/ground block and really think that it will work well in my setup.
Clean and proper is what I am looking for.
Thinking about it, having too many fuses is never going to be a real problem when taking safety into consideration and it can look sweet when done well.
One other question I still have is using a ground block any better than just a ring terminal? and are maxi fuses better than agu? Cause I haven't bought the distobution block yet I could choose either.
Jeepbeats, I'm sure that one of the best ways to accomplish your install would be to just pick up a wire gauge adaptor and plug that into your amp but I will let someone more knowlegable answer you question properly.
Thanks for the posts.
[ April 06, 2004, 10:34 PM: Message edited by: Milton ]
04-06-2004, 09:48 PM
#17
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,783
I have personally lost a friend due to faulty vehicle wiring. The factory wiring in a luxury type vehicle shorted out causing an electrical fire. He inhaled the fumes from some of the interior plastics while trying to put the fire out. He died of inhalation poisoning. Don't dick around with your power system. Do it right.
Adam
Adam
04-07-2004, 12:36 PM
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
Jeep - IMO what you have done is fine. Blocks look nice but if you can solder worth beans then you are ok.
Chev2 - I never said I was referencing the rule book. I know it merely says there has to be a fuse within 18" of the battery and that each piece of electronics must be fused. This is one of the places you can go a step better than the basic rules and possibly pull a point from an enlightened judge if you know your game [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
As far as grounds - I don't like to have breaks in my ground wires so I run a separate ground for each item to the ground point rather than use a block. I may include a dummy ground block for display purposes though [img]smile.gif[/img]
Chev2 - I never said I was referencing the rule book. I know it merely says there has to be a fuse within 18" of the battery and that each piece of electronics must be fused. This is one of the places you can go a step better than the basic rules and possibly pull a point from an enlightened judge if you know your game [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
As far as grounds - I don't like to have breaks in my ground wires so I run a separate ground for each item to the ground point rather than use a block. I may include a dummy ground block for display purposes though [img]smile.gif[/img]
